NY Chinatown bus in another deadly crash

NEW YORK – Two people died and dozens were injured in the second fatal accident of a bus from New York’s Chinatown in a matter of days, police said Tuesday.

The bus running from Manhattan’s Chinatown neighborhood to Philadelphia sped off the tarmac and along the grass divider on the New Jersey Turnpike before smashing into a concrete pillar, New Jersey police said.

The impact propelled the driver through the windscreen, killing him. Another passenger died also after partially crashing through a window.

Another two passengers suffered critical injuries, while the other 39 were injured less severely, the police statement said.

The crash followed a horrific accident on Saturday that killed 15 people traveling from a casino in Connecticut to New York.

Both buses were operated by companies based in the Chinatown neighborhood. The lines, popularly dubbed “Chinese buses,” were developed by Chinese immigrants and offer low rates on trips around the US northeast.

Safety standards have come under scrutiny in the wake of Saturday’s accident. Authorities were investigating the driver, a convicted felon who survived the crash.

New York Governor Andrew Cuomo on Monday ordered a probe into how the driver, Ophadell Williams, “was able to obtain and retain a commercial driver’s license.”